Zeb Jaffar (

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

, ) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

politician who had been a member of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

from August 2018 till August 2023. Previously she was a member of the National Assembly from June 2013 to May 2018.

Early life and education

She was born in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

to Begum Ishrat Ashraf and

Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal (; born 2 September 1972) is a Pakistani politician who served as Minister of State for Maritime Affairs, in the Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. He had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, from ...

. She received her early education at the

Convent of Jesus and Mary, Murree The Convent of Jesus Mary is a private boarding school located in Murree, Pakistan, and was founded in 1876 by Claudine Thévenet, who was also a founder of the Religious Order of Jesus Mary to educate young women of every status. History The ...

before graduating from

Kinnaird College The Kinnaird College for Women (KCW) is a university located in Lahore, Pakistan. It is a women's liberal arts university. Kinnaird was established in 1913 by the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission. In 1919, Presbyterian Mission Church and the ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in 2001. She received her

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from Middlesex University, London in 2005.

Political career

She began her political career in 1997 after getting elected as Vice Chairperson, District Council, Rahim Yar Khan. She ran for the seat of the

as a candidate of

Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...

(PML-N) from Constituency NA-193 (Rahim Yar Khan-II) in the

2002 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies. The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf. The two mainstream parties, Pakistan ...

but was unsuccessful. She received 23,004 votes and lost the seat to Syed Tanveer Hussain Syed, a candidate of

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...

(PPP). She ran for the seat of the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-193 (Rahim Yar Khan-II) and as an independent candidate from Constituency NA-196 (Rahim Yar Khan-V) in the

2008 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008 to elect members of the 13th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. On 3 November 2007 President Pervez Musharraf enacted a state of emergency; elections were initia ...

but was unsuccessful. She received 24,831 votes from Constituency NA-193 (Rahim Yar Khan-II) and lost the seat to

Mian Abdul Sattar Mian Abdul Sattar is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. Political career He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-193 (Rahim Yar Khan-II) as a can ...

, and received 363 votes from Constituency NA-196 (Rahim Yar Khan-V) and lost the seat to

Javed Iqbal Warraich Javed Iqbal Warraich () is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since February 2024 and previously served in this position from August 2018 till January 2023 and from 2008 to 2013. Political career He ...

. In the same election, she ran for the seat of the

Provincial Assembly of Punjab The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, also known as the Punjab Assembly, is the supreme Legislature, legislative body of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. It convenes at the #Assembly building, A ...

as an independent candidate from Constituency PP-293 (Rahimyar Khan-IX) but was unsuccessful. She received 206 votes and lost the seat to Javid Akbar Dhilloon, a candidate of PPP. In the same election, she was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab as a candidate of PML-N on a reserved seats for women. She was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N on a reserved seats for women from

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

in the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

. She was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N on a seat reserved for women from Punjab in the

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

References

Living people Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs Punjab MPAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018 Punjabi women People from Rahim Yar Khan District Women members of the National Assembly of Pakistan Year of birth missing (living people) Convent of Jesus and Mary, Murree alumni Alumni of Middlesex University Kinnaird College for Women University alumni Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023 21st-century Pakistani women politicians Pakistani MNAs 2024–2029 {{MuslimN-MNA-stub